A Dangerous Touch
by hadesgirl015
Summary: Kanan thought Ezra would never have another touch with the Dark Side after the asteroid on Empire Day, but he was wrong. When someone major from Ezra's past shows up, Ezra is not the least bit happy and his Padawan gets dangerously close to the Dark Side.


A Dangerous Touch

Summary: Kanan thought Ezra would never have another touch with the Dark Side after the asteroid on Empire Day, but he was wrong. When someone major from Ezra's past shows up, Ezra is not the least bit happy and his Padawan gets dangerously close to the Dark Side.

Takes place in between Fire Across the Galaxy and Siege of Lothal

Kanan and Ezra were walking down a back road of Lothal, heading towards where they were supposed to pick up some cargo for the Rebellion.

An Imperial Officer was walking the other way, towards the Master and Padawan duo. Kanan's idea was to not draw attention to himself, especially after he just got freed from the Empire. Ezra had other plans.

Kanan was shocked when his fifteen year old Padawan, suddenly seemed to gain the strength of a full grown Wookie as he shoved the Imperial Officer into the alley way. He was even more shocked to see that Ezra had the now rather scared Officer pinned up against the wall, one hand on the man's chest, the other on his windpipe.

"Who are you?" the Imperial Officer asked. "I can have you arrested for treason."

"You don't know who I am?" Ezra asked, he sounded dangerously angry.

"Should I?" the Officer asked.

"Ezra," Kanan warned.

"Think back, eight years ago." Ezra said.

"That was a long time ago, how am I supposed to remember?" the Officer asked, he was starting to sound afraid, mostly due to the position of the teens hand, his air supply could be cut off at a moment's notice.

"Really?" Ezra asked sarcastically. "Because I remember every moment of that day."

"Ezra," Kanan warned. He could feel the Dark Side start to swirl around his Padawan.

Ezra removed his hand from the Imperial's windpipe, only to put it on his lightsaber and draw the lightsaber to the man's neck.

"Ezra Bridger, you put that saber away right now!" Kanan yelled.

"Bridger?" the Officer asked, full of fear, and he was right to be afraid, with a lightsaber only a couple inches away from his neck. "As in Mira and Ephriam Bridger?"

"Exactly!" Ezra spat.

"Ezra," Kanan started.

"Stay out of this Kanan." Ezra yelled, as the Dark Side started to swirl more violently.

"No I won't." Kanan said. "What's gotten into you?"

"This is the Imperial who took my parent's away from me!" Ezra yelled.

With each passing moment Ezra grew closer and closer to the Dark Side.

"And what do you plan on doing to him?" Kanan asked, already knowing the answer, but he was trying to reason with his Padawan before it was too late.

"You know perfectly well what." Ezra spat, the lightsaber drawing closer to the Imperial Officer's neck.

"And what will it solve Ezra?" Kanan asked. "Will it bring your parents back?"

Ezra paused his advance.

"Killing for revenge is not the Jedi way." Kanan said.

"Jedi?" the Officer asked. Kanan was mildly shocked that he was just now figuring it out, even though he had a Jedi weapon to his neck.

"Hush you, I'm trying to save your life." Kanan said to the Officer. "Ezra, think about it. Would you parents want you to do this?"

"You didn't know my parents." Ezra said.

"I know, but I know you." Kanan gently reminded. "And by knowing you, I know your parents were wonderful people, who wouldn't want their son killing an unarmed prisoner, even if it was for revenge."

"This man is the reason they're gone." Ezra responded, he had a mix of angry and sad tears in his eyes.

"I know," Kanan soothed, "But revenge is not the Jedi way. Killing in anger is not the Jedi way."

Kanan knew it was working, because the Dark Side seemed to lessen around his angered Padawan.

"Think about it Padawan. Would your parents want you to become a killer?" Kanan asked. "They wanted so much more for you."

Ezra let out a breath, and deactivated his saber lowering his arm, but kept the other one firmly planted on the Officer's chest. Kanan could feel the anger melting off and the Dark Side dissipating.

"If I let him live," Ezra started. "It's going to haunt me."

"It will haunt you a lot more if you don't." Kanan reasoned.

Ezra finally removed his arm from the Officer's chest and turned and walked back towards Kanan.

"Coward," the Imperial Officer called.

"Oh wonderful." Kanan said, planting his hand on his face.

Kanan felt Ezra's anger spike for only a moment, before he heard the sound of his Padawan's lightsaber activating and a pained scream.

Kanan looked and saw that the Imperial Officer was now missing an arm.

Ezra deactivated his saber, "That pain you feel? Imagine it being five times worse, and never ending. Now imagine it with a kid."

The Officer was gasping for breath.

"That pain, is what I felt, for eight years, and it started when I was seven." Ezra said. "And it was all on the inside, and I had no one to cry to, because you took the only family I had. You in a few hours could have the pain gone and a new arm." He paused, taking in another calming breath. "It took me eight years to get anything close to a new family, and my pain still hasn't gone away."

The Officer looked at Ezra.

"A kid who has to deal with that, is anything but a coward." Ezra said, and turned and walked out of the alley, without Kanan.

Kanan turned to the Officer, "He's completely right. You've caused him so much pain, he didn't have to spare you. He could've cut off your head instead of your arm just as easily." He turned to leave, "But he did the right thing."

Kanan left the alley way and caught up with Ezra.

"I feel cold." Ezra muttered. "I touched the Dark Side again, didn't I?"

"You let your emotions get the best of you." Kanan said.

"I'm sorry." Ezra said, he wouldn't meet Kanan's eyes.

"You made the right choice in the end." Kanan said, "That's all that matters."

"I was so angry." Ezra said.

"To tell you the truth kid, if I ever saw the people who killed my Master, who was the closest thing I ever had to a mother, I would probably have the same reaction." Kanan confessed. "But like you, in the end, if it wasn't for the fact that they would try to kill me, I don't think I could bring myself to kill them in cold blood."

Ezra finally meet Kanan's eyes.

"But when we get back to the _Ghost_ I want you to meditate on this." Kanan said,

"Sure thing, Master." Ezra said.

Kanan sighed with relief once they made it back to the ship, Ezra had a dangerous touch with the Dark Side today, but in the end, he didn't give into it, he stayed on the path of the Light. But what would have happened if he wasn't around to stop him. Kanan gave a mild shiver, he didn't want to think about that. For now, everything would be fine. 


End file.
